Residential/Day Treatment

Sister Margaret Smith Centre Youth Addiction Programs provides a five-week intensive substance abuse treatment program for youth from age 13 up to 18. This program uses a harm reduction, cognitive behavioural approach to recovery, which focuses on changing behaviour through examining beliefs and values. It includes group therapy, individual counselling, education sessions, and life skill development, introduction to self help, leisure and recreation opportunities, and relapse prevention. The multi-disciplinary team consists of addiction counsellors, youth workers, a therapeutic recreationist, a problem gambling counsellor, and a spiritual advisor. Community resources are brought in to supplement the programming, including the Children's Centre Thunder Bay, a physician, consulting psychologist and a Native spiritual worker.

The residential treatment program offers 8 residential beds per block to youth who are not from the Thunder Bay area and/or require this level of safety and supervision. This program also offers 2 beds per block to youth from the Thunder Bay area who require the intensive day treatment component from Monday to Friday - 9:30 to 3:30 pm. This allows the youth to participate in the therapeutic group, individual counselling, school, recreation and spirituality. The admission treatment and discharge policies are the same for local and non-local youth.